TOPIC: Pay-per-seat computer system?

I used to frequent a movie theater in Biggleswade England a number of years ago where they had a touch-screen monitor showing all the seats in the theater with their respective prices. Middle seats cost more, outside seats cost less, etc. The prices were shown on the seats and if a seat had already been reserved, it had a big X on it. The patron would simply touch the seat(s) they wanted. It was a great system and being able to reserve your seat was fabulous. Does anyone know what software this was, and if it's available to US exhibitors?

"In a place like this, the magic is all around you. The trick is to see it." -Martin Landau

extra per seat may be an innovation that will be slow to arrive in the US. I too have attended films in UK and Europe and I loved the "reserved seat". One time I was late for Bridget Jones Diary in Belfast/NI and we were the last ones in as it started and there were our seats waiting! Way cool! Most auto ticketing systems have the ability to do this but it is more a theatre issue: do they want to number seats and train customers? It can be done.
Michael Hurley
Impresario

Thank you, Michael. I didn't realize that most systems would do this graphically- I assumed it was specialized. You're right, being able to reserve your seat (even online now, just like an airplane) means patrons don't have to worry about being at the front of the line to get a good seat anymore. This particular theater also had ushers in tuxedos, a live introduction by the manager, and a beautiful red velvet curtain that automatically went up when the film started. Very nice and still memorable. Other exhibitors should take note- and this was 8 years ago! I wonder why the US is so far behind. Hmmmmmm...

As for numbering seats, I'm assuming it only needs to be done once since the seating arrangement doesn't change. And as for customer training, I remember the box office attendee simply said, "Please touch the seat you want" and we would touch the seats on the touch screen monitor. Pretty simple, painless, and it added an extra buck or two (or quid or two, as it were) to the theater revenue in just a few seconds.

"In a place like this, the magic is all around you. The trick is to see it." -Martin Landau

Our system has that functionality, though we don't pay much attention to it now (being purely a drive-in operation!)

On the other hand, it would be a major return to days past, when an indoor theatre actually had ushers in the auditoriums. Such personnel would be required in order to keep people in their proper areas.

Considering the current "hands off" mentality in this country, such a concept is unlikely to be seriously considered... at least not in the mainstream.

Cinemateer wrote, in part: ... ushers in tuxedos, a live introduction by the manager, and a beautiful red velvet curtain that automatically went up when the film started. Very nice and still memorable. Other exhibitors should take note- and this was 8 years ago! I wonder why the US is so far behind.

The part I quoted above sounds exactly like the theater my parents took me to in Portsmouth, Virginia, when I was a young kid. That must have been around 1950 when I was six.

Other than the reserved seating, you were not looking at the future, you were looking at the past.

Yes, and that's really too bad... because it was touches like that which made the experience memorable.. and separated the theatre from the typical boxes we have so many of now.

How many theatres do we have left that pull TWO curtains??? What a TOTAL waste of time!

Today, I imagine the chains would be looking at all that seat-finding, show-introduction and curtain-pulling time and wonder how many extra shows they could have crammed into that space... or ads they could have played.

"Other than the reserved seating, you were not looking at the future, you were looking at the past." -Alan

That's just it- everything was modernized and state-of-the-art, yet it had that personal feel unlike any of the shoe-box theaters. Patrons are complaining about having to pay a high price for low value, why not up the ante and add little touches like this? If the POS system is already in place, heck, it may not even cost any more to implement some of these ideas!

The wonderful side benefit is that patrons feel as though they are in a slightly higher class establishment, so they are naturally quieter, less obnoxious, and talk less during the movie. A win-win for everyone.

"In a place like this, the magic is all around you. The trick is to see it." -Martin Landau

Hello RODEOJACK--You mentioned that your system can do seat assignments? I am curious as to what program you are using, can it be used on-line? I do like this idea very much for live shows as people could purchase tickets on line and choose where they would like to sit. So basically someone could reserve a ticket on-line and then all I have to do is look it up, print the tickets, send them to a customer. Once reserved the seats are locked out and they cannot be selected.

For movies, I wouldn't go this far as there are PLENTY of seats available and that would be first come first serve like a regular movie theatre. But I feel it is necessary for live shows. There would be more ushers present for live shows so directing people to their seats will not be a problem. But I do like the idea that people can pick their seats ahead of time (just like a Broadway show) and know that even if they are a bit late, their seats are waiting for them.

I can get a ticket printer so that is not a problem. The problem is integrating with ticket orders on line and syncing that information with my computer so this way seats cannot be double booked. So if a reservation is 'pending' the seats will be automatically be locked out and cannot be 'reselected'.

We use the RTS system. It has the ability to build a template of the seating in each auditorium. Then, assignments can be made accordingly.

Last I looked, it was more of a "reserved seat" function though... I'm not sure how fancy you can get with multiple price ranges... though it might be possible.

Probably the best idea would be for you to call them and ask. Nicole and Rob are very good at working these things out.

When selling tickets online with RTS, the transaction is actually routed through the theatre's main computer. Once a transaction is completed, the credit card is charged, and the seat sold as if the customer had made the purchase in person.

We were never big enough to need it, but I can see how this system would lend itself very conveniently to kiosk sales.